The Handbook of Autism: A Guide for Parents and Professionals [Hardcover]

Maureen Aarons (Author), Tessa Gittens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1992 | ISBN-10: 0415055652 | ISBN-13: 978-0415055659

Autism is a variable and complex developmental disorder which is frequently not recognised or else is misunderstood by both parents and professionals. The Handbook of Autism dispels many of the myths associated with this puzzling condition and provides readers with practical, up-to-date information. Maureen Aarons and Tessa Gittens have worked with autistic children for over twenty years, and are convinced that parents have a right to know as much as possible about autism. By clarifying the essential issues concerning the recognition of autism, their book permits parents and professionals to reach a better mutual understanding. It enables readers to understand autism in a wider perspective, both its history and current research into possible causes; it also looks at the latest thinking on diagnosis, management and education, and on medical aspects. The authors describe their developmental approach to the assessment of autism in individual children and explore areas of special difficulty such as social understanding and communication. Case studies are used to illustrate the variability of autism, and an appendix of useful addresses is included.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Aarons and Gittens are London speech therapists who have taught autistic children for 25 years. Their book is a thorough introduction to autism, covering diagnosis, assessments, history, prognosis, and methods of education. Still, while the background and history are helpful, the intended readership is British. Sections on educational alternatives, British sign language, British education acts, and therapy options in Britain will be of little use to U.S. readers, who need immediate, close-at-hand help. Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures (LJ 1/96) and Emergence might be better choices. The McClannahan/Krantz book covers one method of helping autistic children learn: using activity schedules. These schedules teach autistic youngsters to follow words, pictures, or other nonverbal prompts to complete all varieties of tasks. Autistic children, often seen as antisocial, can benefit from a self-motivated plan to complete jobs at home, enjoy leisure time, or simply perform the daily activities of dressing and preparing for school. The book details how to set up activities, relate prompts to action, and follow through so that autistic children can become independent of verbal commands that parents or teachers might give. Illustrated with charts, photos of children, and examples of visual prompts; for larger public libraries.ALinda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Highly readable, informative and accessible--a most welcome contribution to the scarce literature in the field." -- Geraldine Peacock, Executive Director, The National Autistic Society --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Tavistock Books (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415055652
• ISBN-13: 978-0415055659
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,232,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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